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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. spell — magic
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. stem — to come from
  5. last — final
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bear — the animal
  9. swing — music
  10. last — finally
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. swing — in golf
  14. last — to go on
  15. rule — government
  16. fine — high quality
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. spell — letters
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fine — all right
  23. rule — a law
  24. stem — a stem cell

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com